Energy weapons such as lasers, masers, particle accelerators, and the like use energy to create high energy beams. Such weapons can become stand-alone systems when used in conjunction with dedicated power generators. Fuel-burning engines, such as gas turbine engines, can be part of these power generators.
Gas turbine engines are used to power aircraft, watercraft, electrical generators, and the like. Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. The compressor compresses air drawn into the engine and delivers high pressure air to the combustor. In the combustor, fuel is mixed with the high pressure air and is ignited. Exhaust products of the combustion reaction in the combustor are directed into the turbine where work is extracted to drive the compressor and, sometimes, an output shaft, fan, or propeller.
In power generation applications, the gas turbine engine is mechanically linked to a “main” generator to turn the generator and produce electricity. When power from the main generator is not needed, the engine is shut off to conserve fuel. Re-starting of the engine is a time consuming process and can delay the generation of power when needed.